Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand (Book Analysis) E-Book

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• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 17

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2016

Beschreibung

Unlock the more straightforward side of Cyrano de Bergerac with this concise and insightful summary and analysis!

This engaging summary presents an analysis of Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand, a dazzling play centered on the larger-than-life character of Cyrano de Bergerac, a poet, soldier, lover, and champion. He begins an elaborate deception with his friend Christian de Neuvillette, to whom he lends his poetic talents to help him woo the beautiful Roxane, despite being in love with her himself. When first brought to the stage, Cyrano de Bergerac was performed for over 300 consecutive nights, making it one of the most successful plays of its time and an unmissable read. 

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This in-depth and informative reading guide brings you:
• A complete plot summary
• Character studies
• Key themes and symbols
• Questions for further reflection

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Leseprobe

Edmond Rostand

French playwright, essayist and poet

Born in Marseille in 1868Died in Paris in 1918Notable works:Ode à la musique (1890), poemThe Woman of Samaria (1897), playCyrano de Bergerac (1897), play

Born in 1868 into a well-to-do family of Marseille, Edmond Rostand stood out for his taste for literature from a young age: he was, among other things, an avid reader of Dumas’ works. Pursuing brilliant studies in Marseille, and then in Paris, the young Rostand tried his hand at theater and poetry from 1889. 1897 was the year of the young author’s triumph, with The Woman of Samaria, in which the actress Sarah Bernhardt played the lead, and with Cyrano de Bergerac, thanks to which Rostand was given the title of Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur. His later literary production has certainly been obscured by this tremendous success. Rostand died in Paris in 1918, after being elected to the Académie Française in 1901.

Cyrano de Bergerac

The twists of a love triangle

Genre: play (romantic tragedy)Reference edition: Rostand, E. (1996) Cyrano de Bergerac. Paris: Librio.First edition: 1897Themes: love, ugliness, poetry, duality, friendship, dedication

Cyrano de Bergerac is a “heroic comedy” (a term coined by Rostand himself, which differs from the category of “comedy”) in five acts and in verse, performed for the first time on 28th December 1897 in Paris. The play is set in Paris in 1640, where the cadet (nobleman serving as soldier) of Gascony Cyrano de Bergerac secretly hopes to seduce his cousin Roxane, with whom he is desperately in love.

Mainly discussing the theme of the love triangle through the opposition of beauty and words, Cyrano de Bergerac goes against the trend of symbolic and decadent aestheticism of the time. The tremendous success of the play lasted throughout the 20th century. This can probably be explained by its endearing characters and fierce rejoinders.

Summary

Act I